Cotton-picking machine.



A. ST. ONGE.

COTTON PICKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 111113.26,1913.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANoGn/Pn CmWASHlNGToN. n.6.

Aaa-asn sT. ouen, or PROVIDENCE, unioni". isn-AND.

`COTTON-PICKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patented Uct. 2S, 1913.

Appneauonaiefi reame-ry ze, 1"913. serial No. *mama To el? fre/1.071?, it may yconcern Re it known tlia't l, rinfusa Sr. Ones, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence, .infthe county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have ii ventedeertain new and useful improve ments `in Cotton-Picking Machines, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to a draft regulat-` ing device through the grid of a cotton piclo ing machine, and is an improvement on the draft regulating apparatus of my prior United States Patent No. 897,320.

My present invention has for its object to provide in such a machine, a damper plate arranged to have its end nearest the first grid adjusted vertically to so nicely control the passage of air through the grid that the action of the back draft will serve to float away the cotton fibers but permit the motes and dust to fall away by gravity.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure l-is a side elevation of my improved cotton picking machine illustrating the mechanism for adjusting the damper vertically to control the passage of air therethrough. Fig. Q--is an enlarged perspective View of the damper plate showing the mea-ns for controlling the vertical position of the inner end of the same. Fig. 3-is a modifica-tion illustrating the damper plate as being pivotally mounted at its center portion whereby it is opened at both ends at the same time.

The ordinary cotton picker is provided with a pair of feed rolls 10, a beater 1l and a iirst set of grid bars 12 over which the cotton received from the rollers 10 is whipped rapidly by the beater 11, thence it passes over the second set of grid bars 13 and is formed int-o a lap on the cage rolls la through which a draft is created bythe usual exhaust fan 15. The space between the first and second set of grid bars is ordinarily provided with a fixed plate over which the cotton is passed.

ln the operation of an ordinary cotton picking machine the cotton is engaged by the beater and whipped across the first set of grid bars lf2 primarily for the purpose of shaking out the motes and dust which are supposed to drop by gravity through said bars into a chamber below. The draft which is created through `the cage rolls ist for the purpose of forming lap thereon is supposed to be just suffi-cient to create a baci:

or upward draft through these grid bars sufiicient to prevent the cotton fibers from drowning down through the bars, but not sufficient to prevent the dust and heavier motes from dropping away from the cotton. But it is found in many cases that this draft is necessarily so strong in order to form the proper lap that it not only prevents the cotton fibers from dropping through the grid but also creates an upward draft particularly on the last few bars 1G sufficient to draw back some of the dust and metes which have previously fallen through the iii-st bars of the grid, therefore under such conditions the grid fails to perform its required functions of properly separating the metes and dust from the cotton. To obviate this difficulty I have provided a fixed plate 17y mounted on the grid frame 18 and projecting a short distance into the space between the first and second grids, and have also provided a damper plate 19 arranged to extend across this space, the rear end 2O being for convenience supported on oi near the edge 2l of the second grid frame, while the forward end 22 is shown as being provided with a pair of arms 23 which engage downwardly extending fixed rods i341, said reds being secured to the first grid frame at 25. Collars 2G are also slidably mounted on said rods the same being provided with set screws 27 whereby they may be adjusted vertically to clamp the arms 28 between them and regulate the opening of the damper plate and control the passage of air be tween the damper plate and the fixed plate 17. I do not limit myself to this particular construction of supporting this damper plate as any suitable means may be employed therefor.

The particular advantage in constructing my improved damper plate so that it may be opened at a point nearest the inner end of the first grid is, that the upward draft through the last few bars of this first grid may be so nicely controlled as to float away the cot-to-n fibers and yet permit even the lightest dust and motos to fall freely away therefrom, the opening through the damper plate being just far enough away from these last bars to permit the dust to fall without being affected by the draft therethrough.

llt

By the use of my improved construction in a cotton picker it will be seen that much cleaner cotton can be produced than would be possible by the means now in use. n

I claim:

l. In a cotton picking machine, a grid, a second grid spaced therefrom, rods secured to the frame of the firstgrid, a fixed plate secured to the first grid, a damper plate having one end resting upon the second grid and its opposite end slidably secured to said rods, whereby the air space between said grids may be regulated.

2. In a cotton picking machine, a grid, a second grid spaced therefrom, rods secured to the frame of the first grid, a fixed plate secured to the first grid, sleeves adjust-ably mounted on said rods, a damper plate having one end resting upon the second grid and its opposite end secured to said sleeve whereby the air space between said grids may be regulated.

3. In a cotton picking machine, a grid, a second grid spaced therefrom, depending rods secured to the frame of the rst grid, a fixed plate secured to the rst grid, sleeves slidably mounted on said rods, a damper plate having one end resting upon the second grid arms extending from the opposite end of said damper plate and engaging said sleeves, whereby said damper plate may be adjusted toward and from said fixed plate. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AMASA ST. ONGE. Titnessesz HOWARD E. BARLOW, E. I. OGDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each.. by addressing the Commissioner o Patents. Washington, D. C. 

